Truck, especially for rail cars



Feb. 27, 1945.

TRUCK,

J. LEDWINK'A ESPECIALLY FOR RAIL CARS Filed Nov. 6, 1941 4 Sheets-Shut 1 yvvsurok .fos'eph Ledwzniza A TTORNEY Feb. 27, 1945. 2,370,605

J. LEDWINKA TRUCK, ESPECIALLY FOR RAIL CARS Filed Nov. 6, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 nvvazvron Y .f05e72h Ledwz'niia,

ATTORNEY Feb. 27, 1945. LEDWINKA 2,370,605

TRUCK, ESPECIALLY FOR RAIL CARS Filed Nov. 6, 1941 4 Sheets-Shoot 4 Joseph Ledzvzhfia .4 TTORNE Y Patented Feb. 27, 1945 2,370,605

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRUCK, ESPECIALLY FOR RAIL CARS Joseph Ledwinka, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 6, 1941, Serial No. 417,991

11 Claims.

The invention refers to a truck, especially for rail cars. More particularly, the invention refers to that type of truck carrying two wheels on the same side of the car and being connected to the nection between one'of the side girders and an axle box;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical, transverse section along line 66 of Figure 2, at the scale vehicle superstructure pivotally about a substanof Figure 5, showing likewise details of the contially perpendicular axis. struction of one girder and one of the axle boxes;

Among the objects of the invention is a truck Figure 7 i a fra m n ry V al, ransverse combining light weight with great strength, ri- Section S b a y along line of Figure gidity and durability. at a larger scale, showing one of the transverse Another object of the invention is a truck reinforcing walls between two girders serving which can easily and at low cost be manufactured simultaneously for the support of the brake from heet material such as highly cold rolled levers, and showing furthermore the connection austenitic stainless steel. between one of the trucks and a tie rod; and

A still further object of the invention is a Flgure 8 is fragmentat'y hr1zntal.sectin truck in which the wheels and their axles conat the scale of and along hne 8-8 9 Flgure tribute to the stiflness of the truck frame. showing the atfiachment 0f the equahzlps system Further objects of the invention are the provito one of t i and the reinfommg means sion of simple and emcient means for connecting such glrqer m thls region the truck to the body superstructure, the wheels III is a air of transverse bolster sills of 9, veto the truck frame and for suspending the brake :0 mole superstructure or body. These sills are mechanism. connected to a central longitudinal sill II which The objects of the invention are in a large part is indicatgd by lines m Figure achieved by the use of pairs of elongated closed Th; ttwo girtdigrs lllzarg ntercgnnfectfid near their box-sectional girders arranged on edge on both as {1 gs i eac o w lch is firmly sides of the wheels and by the use of transverse 5 5' u L Each member H walls between the two girders servin t 5 S i 3 g or the Fwo trucks for the purpose of strengthening the structure 3: z ig latoer t f kilg f? i f but also for the suspension of accessories such two wheels n la in a ff gg rrfiz gfis gz gg ag gfg and advantages of construction of each individual truck I5 and. IS the invention will become ap being substantially the same, the further descrip- Parent mm the tion will substantial] b confln d t th 1; k lowing description of an embodiment of the in- '6 y e e 0 e me vention which is illustrated in the attached draw- P truck '6 comprises a of longitudinally the drawings Ziiiiiti it iit ei ttlti i iel" 225%? e s a a Figure 1 is a Plan View a truck structure' elongated, box-sectional str cture arranged on partly in section, and of fragmentary parts of the edge, the two girders l9 and n being arranged body superstructure, on both sides of the wheels l1 and I8.

Figure 2 is a Side elevation Partly in section Each girder I! or 20 comprises longitudinally 810118 line of Figure 1 of the Same truck extending, substantially flat sheet metal plates Structure and the adjoining Portion of body 2|, 22 which are spaced from one another and superstructure; interconnected along their outer margins by U- Fi ure 31s an en el v f the truck strucsection rails 23, 24 and 24'. The plates are cut ture shown in Figures 1 and 2, partly in Section 4 out at the location of the wheels and interconalong line 3-3 of Fi ur and also of the nected along the margins of the opening by a Joining P s Of the body superstructure; U-section rail 25 which interconnects or forms a Figure 4 i; 1ahsectiloin through t kin p 511 continuation of the rails 24 and 24'. pens on an e sp n8 arrangemen s We as The rails 23 extend uninterr throu adj parts of o e individual t uck. upper margins and both end ZZZ'ZZKZZ? 2:21: Subst nt l y a n l ne f Figure Y at 8 girder I9, 20 and have their opening directed tolarger scale; ward the interior of the girders and their arms Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical, longitudiconnected, such as by electric spot or seam weldnal section along line 5-5 of Figure 1, likewise ing, to the marginal portions of the plates 2| and at a larger scale, showing the details of the con- 56 22. The rails 24, 24', 25 have their open sides facing away from the interior of the girder and have their arms likewise connected, such as by electric spot or seam welding, in overlapped relation to the lower margins of the plates 2|, 22. In the region between the wheels, the plates 22 of the two girders I9 and are provided with an inwardly extending flange 26 and the rails 24 are provided with a corresponding flange 21. These flanges serve for additionally reinforcing the central region of the girders and for purposes which will be described later on.

The two girders I9 and 20 are interconnected by a, number of transverse plates, walls or webs 28, 29, 30 and 3| on either side of the king pin l4, and in the region of the latter by an upper plate 32 and a. lower plate or web 33, the latter forming part of and a connection between the two walls or webs 30. The plates 28 conform in shape and are connected, such as by spot welding, to the end portions of the rails 23 of the two girders I9 and 20. Besides, the plates 22 are provided at their ends with flanges 34 which underlie and are likewise fastened to the plates 26.

Each wall or web 29 constitutes a casting or forging having reinforcing marginal and intermediate ribs 35, a pair of horizontally extending cylindrical sleeves 36, two pairs of ears 31 and two openings 38. Aligned with the sleeves 36 are sleeves 39 in the interior of each girder I9 and 20, and openings in both walls of the girder. The two sleeves 39 in each girder have their ends extended into one pair of plates 4|) which latter are Welded to said sleeves, and rest against and may be fastened to the girder walls 2|, 22.

A sleeve or rod 4|, having an outer diameter which about equals the inner diameter of the sleeves 36 and 39, extends through each set of sleeves 36 and 39. Screw bolts 42 extend into the correspondingly screw-threaded ends of the sleeves 4| and clamp the two girders I9, 29 flrmly from both sides against the wall 29. Reinforcing plates 43 on the outside of the walls 2| strengthen the latter around the bolts 42.

The' aforesaid cars 31 of the plates 29 support pivot pins 44 for brake levers 45. One arm of each lever 45 extends through one of the openings 38 in plate 29. The brake levers 45 carry at one of their ends the brake shoes 46, whereas the other ends engage pistons in the interior of the brake cylinders 41. The levers 45 at one end of each truck are furthermore connected by a linkage system 48 to a shaft 49 and a lever 50 which latter is to be connected to a-not shown hand or emergency brake handle or wheel. The shaft 49 is likewise supported by ears 5| forming an integral part of the wall 29.

Attached to the outer girder I9 is a pair of brackets 52, one on either side of the king pin I4 and substantially in the longitudinal region of the walls 29. These brackets 52 rest against the underside of and are bolted to the flanges 26, 21 and an outwardly extending flange 53 bent off from the outer lower plate 43. Journalled to each bracket 52 is a link 54 by a perpendicularly arranged pin 55. Corresponding links 54 on the trucks I5 and I6 are joumalled by horizontally arranged bolts or pins 56 to a tie rod 51 which assures the maintenance of the parallel relation of the two trucks.

The transverse perpendicular walls 30 are attached to the walls 22 of the girders by means of angle-section strips 56. The connecting portion 33 between the two walls 30 is formed according to the surface of a cylinder and is reinforced by an inner correspondingly shaped plate 59. The wall 33 rests on the central portions of the flanges 26, 21 which are in this region correspondingly downwardly curved. The upper margins of the walls 30 are inwardly flanged at 60. The plate 32 rests and is connected such as welded to said flanges 60 and to the web of the rails 23 of the two individual girders. The spaces between the plate 32 and the walls 29 are closed by the plates 3| which are likewise connected such as by spot welding to the rails 23 and the end margins of the plate 32.

The plate 32 is provided with a large opening concentric to the king pin M. A collar 6| is welded to the plate 32 around the opening and serves for the attachment of one end of a flexible annular diaphragm 62, the other end of which is attached to the king pin l4.

The king pin I4 is slidable into and out of a sleeve 63, packings or oil seals 64 being provided between the upper end of the sleeve 63 and the king pin l4. A set of coil springs 65, 66 are arranged concentrically to the axis and in the interior of the hollow king pin l4. The upper ends of the springs rest against a transverse wall 61 welded into the king pin l4, whereas the lower ends rest against an end wall 66 of the sleeve 63.

The sleeve 63 is surrounded by a rubber sleeve 69 and two metal sleeves 10, 1|, and at its lower end by a casting or forging 12. The rubber sleeve 69 is adhesively fastened such as vulcanized to the sleeves 63 and 16, and the lower ends of the sleeves 10, 1| are held in a recess of the member 12. The lower wall 68 of the sleeve 63 is normally spaced from the bottom wall 13 of the member 12 so that all the stresses exerted by the springs 65, 66 on the sleeve 63 have to be transmitted in shear to the sleeve 16 and the member 12.

The member 12 has its bottom wall 13 shaped according to a section of a cylinder concentrically to the walls or webs 33, 59. Between the bottom portion of the member 12 and the walls 33, 59 another rubber pad 14 is inserted which has lateral portions 15 extending between the lateral outer surfaces of the member 12 and the walls 22 of the side girders. The rubber pad 14 may have one of its surfaces vulcanized to the adjacent member or members, whereas the other surface is disconnected so that a sliding movement may take place. Such movement would be a swinging movement of the truck frame with respect to the king pin about a horizontal axis coinciding with the axis of the cylindrical por tions 33, 59, 14 and 13. The rubber inserts 69 and 14 do not only permit the necessary movement between the body frame and the truck frame, but they also prevent the transfer of shocks, vibrations and noise from the truck frames to the body.

The walls 2|, 22 of the two girders I9, 20 are reinforced and braced against each other in the region of the king pin, by a pair of channels 16 which have their arms welded to saidwalls and their upper ends welded to the upper rails 23. Inserted between the two rails 16 of the girder I9 is a sleeve 11 held in place by two U-section members 18. The members 13 have their arms attached to the bottom walls of the channel 16, and their bottom walls attached such as by welding to the girder walls 2|, 22. The bottom walls of the members 16 surround and are welded to the ends of the sleeve 11. The construction is so far somewhat similar to the previously described sleeves 39 and their plates 40. The sleeve 11 is tapped, and screwed into it through openings in wall 2I and in an outer reinforcing plate I8 is a bolt 88 which has a spherical head 8|. 82 is a lock nut. Joumalled to the head 8I is one end of a link 83, the other end of which is journalled to another spherical head 84 at the end of a lever 85. Lever 85 is secured to one end of a torsion rod 88 which is rotatably supported in bearings 81 attached to the body cross sills I8. The torsion rod 88 extends across the space between the two trucks and has its other end connected by a corresponding lever and linkage system to the other truck I5 with the result that any vertical movement of one truck with respect to the body will, at least partly, be transferred to the oher truck thereby equalizing the movements.

The wheels I], I8 are each rigidly connected to an axle 88 extending a short distance beyond each side of the respective wheel hub. Firmly secured by means of an annular wedge 88 and a nut 88 is the inner race 8I of a spherical roller bearing. The outer race 8I' of the bearing is secured in an axle box 82 by means of a cover plate 83 and bolts 84. Oil seal members 85 and 88 are connected respectively t the axle 88 and the axle box 82. These members have complementary spherical surfaces, the center of which coincides with the center of the spherical bearing. 81 is a removable axle box cover. The axle box 82 has on both sides a pair of flanges 88, 88 defining a narrow slot between them. Into these slots fit the arms of the girder rail and the adjacent marginal portions of the girder plates 2I and 22. When the axle box is slid from below into its position in the girder, it is secured in place by means of nuts I88 and stay bolts IIII, which latter are held by brackets I82. The brackets I82 have two long arms I83, I84 which are fastened such as by rivets I85 to the bottom walls of the girder rails 24, 25, and 24', 25 respectively.

The axle box 82 is provided along its lower part with upwardly projecting, transversely extending ribs 82' which, when the box is in place, engage corresponding downward ribs or projections I82 of the brackets I82. By these provisions, the axle box functions as a rigid bridge between the lower comers of the recess in the girder.

It is apparent that the axle box constitutes, when in place, a strong reinforcement for the individual girder t which it is attached. It is furthermore apparent that, on account of the connection between the axle 88 and the axle box, the axle constitutes a transverse reinforcement between the two individual girders I8, 28 of the truck frame. It should also be noted in this connection that the sides of the recess for the axle box and the sides of the axle box converge upwardly thereby obtaining a wedge action,

Attached to one of the axles 88 is a drive gear I88 for an electric generator (not shown), the latter to be supported by the body superstructure and connected to the drive gear I88 by a flexible shaft of which only the one end I81 is shown in Figures 1 and 3. The drive gear I88 is supported by the axle 88 itself, but it is prevented from rotating with or swinging about the axle by a projection I88 which is held by a rubber bushing I88 in a bracket I I8 of the girder 28.

The plates, webs, rails and the like constituting the body and truck structures are preferably made of austenitic stainless steel, the strength of which has been materially increased by cold working and said members are preferably connected by a spot or seam welding method known under the trade-mark Shotweld system, which does not deleteriously affect the anti-corrosion properties and the cold-work strength of such material.

The described and illustrated truck construction is believed to be unusually light and yet strong, partly owing to the fact that numerous members fulfill not only one but several functions. For instance: the walls 28 do not only interbrace the individual girders I8 and 28, but they serve als for the support of a substantial part of the brake system; the walls 38 do not only constitute part of the system for supporting the body superstructure on the truck, but serve also for supporting the brake cylinders; the axles and axle boxes do not only serve for supporting the wheels but also for reinforcing the individual girders I8 and 28 and for interbracing the two girders of each truck.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is obvious that the invention is susceptible of many modifications, and that many individual features may be used in connection with trucks or vehicles differing in other respects from the disclosed embodiment. All such modifications and adaptations of the invention are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vehicle truck frame; a pair of girders on one side of the truck; each girder being in the form of a closed box-sectional, elongated, narrow but high structure composed of sheet material: the two girders of the pair being arranged on edge, in the longitudinal direction of the truck, and transversely spaced from each other so as to adapt the structure for the reception of one wheel each between the ends of the girders; transverse members connecting the two girders into one substantially rigid frame; said transverse members comprising a plurality of upright transversely arranged webs or walls having their lateral margins rigidly secured to the two girders, at least one of said webs or walls being arranged between the ends of said girders.

2. In a vehicle truck frame; a pair of girders on one side of the truck; each girder being in the form of a closed box-sectional, elongated, narrow but high structure composed of sheet material; the two girders of the pair being arranged on edge, in the longitudinal direction of the truck, and transversely spaced from each other so as to adapt the structure for the reception of one wheel each between the ends of the girders; means connecting the two girders into one substantially rigid frame; said means comprising members extending from one girder to the other in the region between their upper and lower margins and in the same longitudinal region substantially horizontally arranged webs or plates attached to the girders along their upper and lower margins respectively.

3. In a' -vehicle truck frame; a pair of girders on one side of the truck; each girder being in the form of a closed box-sectional, elongated, narrow but high structure composed of sheet material; the two girders of the pair being arranged on edge, in the longitudinal direction of the truck, and transversely spaced from each other so as to adapt the structure for the reception of one wheel each between the ends of the girders; transverse members connecting the two girders into one substantially rigid frame; said transverse members comprising a plurality of upright, transversely arranged plates or webs; the diiferent webs bein spaced from one another in longitudinal direction and being rigidly secured to the two girders; said transverse members comprising furthermore substantially horizontally arranged webs or plates attached to the girders along their upper and lower margins respectively and closing the space between successive upright webs.

4. In a vehicle truck frame; a pair of girders; each girder being in the form of a closed boxsectional, elongated, narrow but high structure composed of sheet material; the two girders of the pair being arranged on edge, in the longitudinal direction of the truck, and transversely spaced from each other so as to adapt the structure for the reception of one wheel each between the ends of the girders; transverse members connecting the two girders into one substantially rigid frame; said girders comprising two substantially flat plates which are spaced from each other in transverse direction, and U-section rails having arms overlapped by and attached to the margins of said plates whereas their web closes the space between said plates.

5. In a vehicle truck frame, a pair of girders; each girder being in the form of a closed boxsectional, elongated, narrow but high structure composed of sheet material; the two girders of the pair being arranged on edge, in the longitudinal direction of the truck, and transversely spaced from each other so as to adapt the structure for the reception of one wheel each between the ends of the girders; transverse mem bers connectin the two girders into one substantially rigid frame; said girders comprising two substantially flat plates which are spaced from each other in transverse direction, and U- section rails having arms overlapped by and attached to the margins of said plates whereas their web closes the space between said plates; one of said rails having its mouth facing toward the interior of the girder and extending substantially uninterruptedly along the upper and the and margins of the girder; others of said rails facing downwardly away from the interior of the girder and extending along the lower margin of the girder.

6. In a truck frame; a hollow box-sectional girder comprising side walls which extend substantially parallel to and being transversely spaced from each other; a. sleeve; end plates rigidly connected to the ends and extending transversely to the axis of said sleeve; said sleeve with its ends plates being inserted between and attached to said walls; said sleeve and plates forming a transverse brace and spacer between said side walls and said sleeve being adapted to receive a bolt connecting said girder to another member.

7. In a truck frame; a pair of girders arranged on one side of the truck and being mainly formed of sheet metal; each girder constituting an elongated, transversely thin and perpendicularly wide structure; said girders being spaced from each other and adapted to receive a wheel between each of their ends; transverse connecting plates between the two girders; certain of said plates being arranged in longitudinal direction at a distance from the ends of the girders and adapted not only to interbrace the two girders but also to support brake means for the wheels.

8. In a truck frame; a pair of girders arranged on one side of the truck and being mainly formed of sheet metal; each girder constituting an elongated, transversely thin and perpendicularly wide structure; said girders being spaced from each other and adapted to receive a wheel between each of their ends; transverse connecting plates between the two girders; certain of said plates being arranged between the middle portions of said girders, being in the form of a casting or forging and being provided with bearings and openings for brake levers to be supported by and to extend through said plates.

9. In a truck frame according to claim 7, a bracket adapted to receive a tie rod being attached to one of said girders in the region where it is reinforced by one of said transverse plates 10. In a truck; a girder comprising two transversely spaced upright plates; said plates being provided along their underside each with a recess; a U-section rail being inserted between said plates along the margin of the recess; said rail having its arms connected in overlapped relation to said plates, and said arms extending toward the middle of the recess; an axle box having two parallel grooves slid over the arms of said rails and the adjoining margins of the plates; said axle box constituting an effective cross brace between the two plates of the girder.

11. In a truck; according to claim 10; the upright portions of said arms of the rails and of the adjoining margins of the plates being straight and converging upwardly toward each other; said axle box having correspondingly converging grooves; means for holding said axle box firmly in the recess of said frame.

JOSEPH LEDWINKA. 

